VATICAN CITY — As president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper is the Vatican's point man in discussions with leaders of the Anglican Communion.

Cardinal Kasper spoke Nov. 5 with Register correspondent Edward Pentin regarding the consequences of the consecration of openly homosexual Gene Robinson as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

Do you think there is a possibility now of any real unity within the Anglican Church?

I can only repeat what we have told the new archbishop of Canterbury when he was here a few weeks ago — that in Anglican affairs we will not directly interfere.

But in the meantime, the ecumenical network is so tied that decisions they make touch also our relations and our position and the whole question of homosexuality is clear. It's in the Catechism of the Catholic Church*, and we referred to it and we said to him we would be very sad if the Anglican Communion would break away from a common tradition because up to now we had a common position in this matter.

Now we have to wait for what will happen in the Anglican Communion, but there is no doubt that the problem can be church-dividing. The archbishop understood very well our position, and he was very clear in saying that in this ecumenical situation, no church can take one-sided positions; the churches are too close together.

Some have been suggesting that there is a possibility of having an Anglican rite similar to the Eastern rite. Is that being considered?

It's not directly considered at this moment that such a thing is possible. As such, an Anglican rite implies that there are no contradictions, and in matters of faith and morals homosexuality could be such a point of contradiction.

There can be an Anglican rite but this would presuppose that a whole province or a diocese comes to the Catholic Church. Up to now it has been single persons who joined the Catholic Church.